acceptable

acceptable — adjective

1. good enough that people will agree to it, allow it, or treat it as proper for th

1.形容詞B1
釋義

good enough that people will agree to it, allow it, or treat it as proper for the situation.

例句

Wearing jeans to the office is acceptable on Fridays at our company.

X is acceptable + time/place phrase

The price Mei offered for the bike was acceptable to both buyer and seller.

acceptable to + group of people

同義詞
  • satisfactory

    more formal; suggests requirements are clearly met

  • permissible

    stresses that rules allow it, not that people prefer it

  • appropriate

    fits the situation well, beyond merely allowed

反義詞

文法句型

acceptable to someone

acceptable for something

用法筆記

Often paired with the prepositions 'to' (the people who approve) and 'for' (the purpose or person allowed). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense means properly approved or allowed, while sense 2 means only barely good enough.

常見錯誤

❌The plan was acceptable for the manager.
✅The plan was acceptable to the manager.
💡use 'to' for the person who approves; 'for' marks the purpose.
❌Smoking here is acceptable forbidden.
✅Smoking here is not acceptable.
💡'acceptable' is a positive word; negate it directly with 'not'.

2. good enough to use or to pass, but not impressive or much above the lowest level

2.形容詞B1
釋義

good enough to use or to pass, but not impressive or much above the lowest level required.

例句

The hotel room was acceptable, but the thin walls let in every street noise.

acceptable, but + drawback (concessive contrast)

Tariq's first piano performance was acceptable for a beginner, nothing more.

acceptable for + group, with 'nothing more'

同義詞
  • adequate

    neutral; meets the minimum without judgment

  • passable

    very close in meaning; emphasises 'just past the line'

  • tolerable

    we can put up with it, often despite drawbacks

反義詞

文法句型

X is acceptable but not Y

用法筆記

Usually signals damning with faint praise. Often appears with hedges such as 'just', 'barely', 'only', or with a 'but' clause that names the weakness. Distinguish from sense 1: that sense approves; this sense says it merely passes.

常見錯誤

❌The cake was very acceptable and amazing.
✅The cake was acceptable, but nothing special.
💡sense 2 means low-but-passing quality; pairing it with 'amazing' makes the sentence contradict itself.